The present invention is in the field of energy-saving devices and paticularly relates to a means for eliminating half of the cylinders of an internal combustion engine temporarily to conserve fuel.
It is a well known fact that most large engines, especially the V-8 engines, do from time to time require a large portion of their power to be delivered, such as during acceleration, going uphill or pulling a heavy load. However, it is equally well known that these large engines consume fuel at a relatively high rate and that such fuel consumption is unnecessary for the great majority of the time during which the vehicle is driven. On the open highway, crusing within the legal speed limit of 55 miles per hour, there is probably no vehicle that requires the use of all eight cylinders in a V-8 engine in order to maintain speed. However, all cylinders are still pumping and thus consuming fuel at a high rate.
Ideally, some structure or apparatus should be provided whereby half of the engine cylinders could be rendered inoperative most of the time, with the capability of operating all eight cylinders so that the operator would have in effect two four cylinder engines which could be operated singly or together.